UT football: Hicks, Moore, Fera won’t face OSU

It turns out two weeks wasn’t enough time to heal Jordan Hicks. And he’s not alone on No. 12 Texas’ injury list heading into Saturday’s game at Oklahoma State.

Hicks, the Longhorns’ leading tackler and starting weakside linebacker, will not play against the Cowboys due to a hip injury he suffered on Sept. 15 at Ole Miss. He, starting defensive tackle Brandon Moore (virus) and kicker Anthony Fera (groin) all stayed home when the Longhorns traveled to Oklahoma on Friday.

The absences of Hicks and Fera aren’t a surprise, as both have been limited in practice. But the unexpected news is that the Longhorns will have to play without Moore, who’s been part of a four-man rotation at defensive tackle.

Without Moore, UT will rely on Desmond Jackson, Chris Whaley and Ashton Dorsey to continue their strong play, and possibly expect a contribution from freshman Malcom Brown.

With Hicks out of the lineup, UT can either play more nickel defense or turn to backup linebackers Dalton Santos, Kendall Thompson or Tevin Jackson.

Fera has been sidelined all season after transferring from Penn State. In his place, freshman Nick Jordan has been handling the placekicking duties, but he’s made only three of seven field goal attempts this year.